CIC Name Rules: What Your CIC Can (and Cannot) Be Called

Q: Can a CIC use Ltd or Limited in its name?

No. The CIC endings replace 'Limited'. A CIC is still a limited company, but its name ends with 'community interest company' or 'CIC' instead of 'Ltd'. Ordinary companies are also barred from using the CIC endings, so the wording is legally protected.

Q: Can a CIC have the word charity in its name?

Only with approval. 'Charity' and 'charitable' are sensitive words, and a non-charity needs a statement of non-objection from the Charity Commission. Since a CIC cannot be a charity, this is a difficult route in practice and most CICs avoid the word.

Q: Does registering a CIC name protect it as a brand?

No. Company registration only stops an identical or 'same as' name appearing on the companies register. It gives no trade mark protection, and if your name is too similar to an existing trade mark you may be forced to change it. Check the UK Intellectual Property Office trade mark register separately.

Written by Ben Ahern, Founder of CIC Tools and Co-founder of Homeless Aid UK CIC. Last updated 17 September 2026.

The name is the first thing Companies House checks, and a wrong ending, a taken name or a sensitive word is enough to bounce the whole application. Here are the rules, with the statute and guidance they come from, plus a live checker.

Quick answer

A CIC's name must end with “community interest company” or “CIC” (with or without full stops), never “Ltd”. It must not be the same as a name already on the register, sensitive words such as “charity” need approval, and the name must appear identically on every formation document or Companies House will reject the application.

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The required ending (it's the law)

Section 33 of the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 sets the permitted endings. There are exactly four options, depending on whether your CIC is private or public, and whether it is a Welsh company:

Permitted CIC name endings
Company type	Name must end with
Private CIC (most CICs)	“community interest company” or “CIC” (with or without full stops)
Private CIC, Welsh company	may instead use “cwmni buddiant cymunedol” or “CBC”
Public CIC (plc)	“community interest public limited company” or “community interest PLC”
Public CIC, Welsh company	may instead use “cwmni buddiant cymunedol cyhoeddus cyfyngedig” or “cwmni buddiant cymunedol CCC”

Source: section 33, Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004; Companies House, Incorporation and names.

You never add “Ltd” or “Limited”. A CIC is a limited company, but the CIC ending replaces “Limited” entirely. “Sunrise Youth CIC Ltd” is wrong; “Sunrise Youth CIC” is right.
The ending can only appear at the end. The company-name regulations prohibit “community interest company” or “CIC” anywhere else in the name.
The endings are protected. An ordinary company cannot use them, so the “CIC” at the end of your name is a legally meaningful signal to funders, councils and banks.

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Is the name actually available?

Your name cannot be the “same as” a name already on the companies register. When Companies House compares names it disregards company-type words (Ltd, CIC, PLC and so on), “the” at the start, a trailing “s”, and certain punctuation and symbols, so “Sunrise Youth CIC” is treated as the same name as “Sunrise Youth Ltd”. A name that differs by only a few characters can also be challenged as “too like” an existing one, and the Secretary of State can order a change within 12 months of registration.

The checker at the top of this page tests your name against the live Companies House register with each CIC ending and carries the result straight into the formation wizard.

Sensitive words that need approval

Some words need prior approval before Companies House will register them, and several of them are exactly the words community founders reach for:

Sensitive words commonly wanted by CICs
Word	What's required
Charity / Charitable	A statement of non-objection from the Charity Commission. Since a CIC cannot be a charity, this is a hard route and most CICs avoid these words.
Foundation	Evidence of a not-for-profit structure: normally limited by guarantee, with a pool of funds and a non-distribution clause in the articles.
Trust	Criteria depend on the type of trust; your objects normally need to be included in the application.
Association / Federation / Society	Normally limited by guarantee, with one-member-one-vote and non-distribution clauses in the articles.
British / England / English (at the start of a name)	You must show the organisation is pre-eminent or very substantial in its field.
Royal, King, Queen, Prince, Windsor…	Non-objection from the relevant body (the Cabinet Office in England and Northern Ireland).

Names that could imply a connection with the UK government, a devolved administration, a local authority or a specified public body also need approval. Offensive names cannot be registered at all.

The full sensitive-words list is in Annex A of Companies House's incorporation and names guidance. Check it before falling in love with a name.

One name, everywhere, or rejection

When you register, your name appears on the application, the CIC36 community interest statement, the articles of association and the memorandum that Companies House creates for you. The name must be identical on every document, including the ending, and Companies House rejects applications where it is not. “Sunrise Youth CIC” on one document and “Sunrise Youth Community Interest Company” on another is enough to bounce the application.

This is one of the most common self-inflicted rejections, and one our online registration walkthrough shows you how to avoid.

Changing your CIC's name later

Not happy with the name in a year's time? A CIC changes its name the same way as any company: a special resolution of the members (a 75% majority, unless your articles provide another route), then form NM01 to Companies House. The fees are £20 online, £30 by paper, or £85 for the same-day service. The new name must follow all the rules above, and the change takes legal effect when the new certificate of incorporation is issued.

Fees from the Companies House fees page, checked 17 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does a CIC name have to end with CIC?

Yes. Under section 33 of the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004, a private CIC's name must end with “community interest company” or “CIC” (with or without full stops). A Welsh company may instead use “cwmni buddiant cymunedol” or “CBC”. Public CICs use “community interest public limited company” or “community interest PLC”.

Can a CIC use Ltd or Limited in its name?

No. The CIC endings replace “Limited”. A CIC is still a limited company, but its name ends with “community interest company” or “CIC” instead of “Ltd”. Ordinary companies are also barred from using the CIC endings, so the wording is legally protected.

Can a CIC have the word charity in its name?

Only with approval. “Charity” and “charitable” are sensitive words, and a non-charity needs a statement of non-objection from the Charity Commission. Since a CIC cannot be a charity, this is a difficult route in practice and most CICs avoid the word.

How much does it cost to change a CIC name?

£20 online, £30 by paper, or £85 for the same-day service (Companies House fees, checked September 2026). The change needs a special resolution of the members and form NM01, and the new name must still follow all the CIC name rules. It takes effect when Companies House issues the new certificate.

Does registering a CIC name protect it as a brand?

No. Company registration only stops an identical or “same as” name appearing on the companies register. It gives no trade mark protection, and if your name is too similar to an existing trade mark you may be forced to change it. Check the UK Intellectual Property Office trade mark register separately.

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Quick question before you read on

Interested in an online guided CIC setup course?

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About the author

Ben Ahern is the founder of CIC Tools and co-founder of Homeless Aid UK CIC, which feeds around 1,000 people a week. He registered his own CIC, has run community organisations in the North West of England for over a decade, and built CIC Tools so other founders could skip the paperwork headaches he had first-hand.

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